Theme and insert songs of 'Your Name'
Your Name (2016), directed by Makoto Shinkai.
Of course the film’s story is captivating, but it also became a huge talking point for how essential the music is in elevating the narrative!
As you know, RADWIMPS handled all 22 pieces of the score and the 4 theme songs featured in the film.
In this article, I’ll introduce each track while also noting which scenes they were used in.
Enjoy these songs that are sure to bring the film’s story right back to mind.
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Theme and insert songs from “Your Name.” (11–20)
libraryRADWIMPS
This is a piece that conveys Taki’s confused state of mind.
He researches the previous comet strike at the library and finally discovers it… He sees the very thing he least wanted to see, and you can feel how he doesn’t want to accept the truth, wondering what those days he spent in that town even meant.
In his head, he can no longer tell whether it was reality or a dream, and that helpless sorrow reaches us, the viewers.
The dark, heavy music expressed all of that, didn’t it?
dateRADWIMPS
A song with a slightly melancholy atmosphere.
I feel like it was playing during Taki and Ms.
Okudera’s first date scene.
Even though he finally gets to go on a date with the senior he admires, something else keeps nagging at him, and Ms.
Okudera senses it, making their relationship a bit awkward.
The melody feels like it could bring you to tears; it seems to express, through sound, the anxieties, doubts, and inner conflicts we carry in everyday life.
Persuading the MayorRADWIMPS
The scene where Taki goes to persuade Mitsuha’s father.
He looks like Mitsuha on the outside, but inside he’s become one with Mitsuha—sharing her worry for herself and her love for this village.
You can feel it even from the words of the mayor—who is also Mitsuha’s father—when he says, “Who are you?” The music in this scene flows quietly and poignantly, and even while he’s switched with Mitsuha, Taki himself brings his own feelings to the forefront.
Autumn FestivalRADWIMPS
It’s a poignant song that conveys Mitsuha’s feelings.
She herself set up Taki and Okudera-senpai’s date.
And yet, for some reason, Mitsuha breaks into tears.
Not even knowing why, she suddenly chops off her hair.
This scene captures Mitsuha’s adorable emotions and hints at the turning point her life is about to take.
The next night she heads out to the autumn festival, and a comet falls from the sky.
The quiet piano sound gradually expands and then fades away beautifully.
.
.
A mysterious sound resonates in the heart.
Night at the ryokanRADWIMPS
Even after returning to the inn, Taki continues reading the book he borrowed from the library.
However, he can no longer even remember Mitsuha’s name.
At some point, he falls asleep without realizing it.
Then he wakes to Mitsuha’s voice saying, “Taki, don’t you remember?” The song playing in this scene conveys his feelings—trying to recall something but unable to grasp it clearly—through its lonely tones.
dream caféRADWIMPS
This light, jazzy tune played during the scene where Mitsuha, having swapped bodies with Taki, stops by a café on her way home from school and, though bewildered, does her best at Taki’s part-time job.
Since Itomori is a rural village with no cafés, you can feel her surprise and excitement through the music.
The faster tempo in the latter half perfectly matches her struggle! It’s a heartwarming scene and song that makes the viewer’s heart race too.
Theme and insert songs from 'Your Name.' (21–30)
SparkleRADWIMPS
This song portrays the flow of time and the crossroads of fate.
It was created for the soundtrack of the 2016 film “Your Name.” and was used in the climactic scene.
It is characterized by a structure that begins with a quiet piano and unfolds into a grand band sound.
RADWIMPS’s poetic lyrics merge beautifully with the film’s world, moving the hearts of many.
Singing of the feelings of two people in love, this piece is perfect for moments when you want to look back on memories with someone special or when you’re excited about a new encounter.